Tuesday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Jan 10, 2012 9:47 AM CST
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while being more likely to show up.
We're 39 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and the Brewers are one step closer to having Norichika Aoki in attendance: Aoki underwent a physical yesterday after working out for Brewer officials Sunday. This doesn't mean the Brewers are definitely signing Aoki, but the fact that they're getting this step out of the way likely means a deal is still possible.
Here's today's lone Prince Fielder note: Jeff Sullivan of Baseball Nation used gifs to provide irrefutable evidence that Fielder is bad at baseball, explaining why no one has signed him.
Today's biggest news might actually be in the minors:
- The Brewers have promoted former Brevard County pitching coach (and interim Brewer bullpen coach) Fred Dabney to Nashville to replace Chris Bosio. Former independent league coach and major leaguer Mark Dewey will take his place with the Manatees.
- Meanwhile, the Brewers are also shuffling strength and conditioning coaches: Tim Gifford, who spent 2011 with the Timber Ratters, is moving up to Huntsville and will be replaced by Christian Polega.
- Erick Almonte drove in a run and Juan Perez pitched a perfect ninth for the save in Gigantes' 4-3 win over Escogido in the Dominican playoffs. You can read about that and more in today's Winter League Notes.
Hey look, the first power rankings of 2012! The Outside Corner has the Brewers 12th.
Around baseball:
Blue Jays: Designated third baseman Mark Teahen for assignment.
Cubs: Signed pitcher Paul Maholm to a one year, $4.25 million deal.
Dodgers: Signed infielder Luis Cruz to a minor league deal.
Indians: Signed pitcher Chris Seddon to a minor league deal.
Mets: Placed outfielder Fernando Martinez and pitcher Daniel Ray Herrera on outright waivers.
Orioles: Are expected to sign Taiwanese pitcher Chen Wei-Yin to a three year deal worth roughly $11-12 million, signed pitcher Willie Eyre to a minor league deal and designated outfielder Kyle Hudson for assignment.
Red Sox: Signed pitcher Justin Germano to a minor league deal.
Of course, yesterday's big story around baseball was the announcement that Barry Larkin will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. Larkin was the only player to exceed the required 75% of the vote, finishing 494 votes ahead of Eric Young (one vote) and 495 up on Jeromy Burnitz (no votes) (FanShot). You can see the full results here. Both Burnitz and Young won't return to the ballot in 2012. Reviewing The Brew has one last look back at Burnitz's career.
The Hall of Fame voting produces a few of these every year, but I think this is a record crop: Nine BBWAA members returned blank ballots this year, including Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel. With that said, one of those blank ballots led to the birth of @Saber_Boy.
Elsewhere in Journal Sentinel notes, congratulations are due out to Tom Haudricourt. He was named the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Assocation's Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year yesterday.
In former Brewers:
- Yuniesky Betancourt was second in all of baseball in Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs' Reckless Power (RECK) stat in 2011.
- A Hardball Times reader shared a list of and some of his favorite stories about former Brewers.
Today in baseball economics:
- The Padres' ownership change wasn't scheduled to be complete until 2014, but new owner Jeff Moorad is making the final payment this week and owners will vote to transfer team control over to him on Thursday.
- The Twins are expanding their use of "demand based" ticket pricing for 2012.
Finally, I forgot to do this yesterday because I'm a terrible friend but I wanted to send out best wishes to Rubie Q, who's taking a sabbatical from Anonymous Eagle (and presumably lightening his load here as well) as he prepares to become a father for the first (and second) times. Rubie is one of the people I lean on a lot for help keeping things going here, so he'll be missed and hopefully back soon with things going well.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a new hat.
Drink up.
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Huzzah!
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 10, 2012 11:08 AM CST up reply actions
Thanks, everybody.
And a special thanks to KL, Mrs. BCB, and Heather for the very generous — and very dashing — Brewer outfits that Rubie Jr. and Rubette received this weekend.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
Id offer you a Tim Lincecum/Giants onesie
But I dont think my wife will ever relinquish that one. Going into the family vault.
The Steven Strasburg 1T shirt is probably available.
Good luck, and have fun. Relish the sleep you get right now.
What is the AE paternity package? :)
Grats Rubie!
That dog just won't hunt.
by Bush League All Star on Jan 10, 2012 12:56 PM CST up reply actions
February 24 is the official date.
But Mrs. Q is at 34 weeks already, and since theyre twins, it’s effectively: whenever they feel like it.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
by Rubie Q on Jan 10, 2012 5:53 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Many many congrats
I may ask for tips :) Our little one is due on March 8th
I hate Yuni.
by BrewCrewBrian on Jan 11, 2012 7:24 AM CST up reply actions
I'm a little disappointed about this.
Not surprisingly, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig will get an extension this week at the owners’ meetings, of at least two years.
Link
It’s not because he’s done a bad job. It’s more about wanting to get someone new in there with fresher ideas. However, he shouldn’t be forced out, so it’s his job until he’s ready to retire.
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
I don't understand the Selig hate.
He doesn’t have the social skills of a Stern or Goodell, but Selig has arguably done a better job, presiding over a period of major growth in MLB. Franchise values are really high; MLB’s online content — its apps and its streaming-video packages — is awesome; and we haven’t had a strike/lockout since ’94.
Obviously there’s room for more draft reform, but man, MLB has a pretty good commish who has a history of looking out for Milwaukee. Seriously, why would you want him out?
by MooseHaas on Jan 10, 2012 12:04 PM CST up reply actions 3 recs
I'm not saying that he's done a bad job.
That’s not it at all. If he had done a bad job, I would want him gone now.
The comment is more about wanting to get some fresh ideas in there. While he has done some very good things for the game of baseball, there are other areas where things need to improve and probably won’t while he is still there. For instance, the blackout rules. While they may have been effective years ago, with the advance of technology these rules are preventing fans from watching games for their favorite teams.
I’m not saying he’s done a bad job, far from it. He’s done some great things for baseball and Milwaukee. However, I think he’s reaching his limit on what he can do for the game, which is the only reason that I would like to see a change happen.
(Also, in terms of resentment towards Selig, I think that’s mainly focused on what happened during Milwaukee’s long streak of losing seasons. That’s not how I feel about it, just what I’ve noticed from other people commenting on him.)
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
by -JP- on Jan 10, 2012 12:15 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Fresh ideas?
I would think that’s the job of his staff… to float new ideas to him. It’s not like nothing gets done in the Commissioner’s Office unless Bud thinks of it.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Maybe fresh ideas isn't the best way to say it.
I think a better way would be a “fresh perspective”.
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
Blackout rules suck.
But that’s a very very very small thing. Bigger picture:
1. Bud is probably the best commissioner in all the major sports, despite being socially inept. Owners and players alike have been pretty happy with him.
2. Most sports commissioners suck. Stern is insufferable and egotistical and just led the NBA into a lockout; Goodell is a douche; and Bettman led the NHL into a state of total irrelevancy, to the point that it’s no longer even a major sport. When you get a good one like Bud, it’s advisable to stick with him.
3. MLB has done a lot of progressive things during his tenure, most of which have been good.
4. Unless the new commissioner is Bob Uecker, there’s no chance he’s going to look out for MKE as much as Selig has.
Freshness for the sake of freshness is unwise. Unless there’s a commish candidate who is going to drastically revamp the financial system to level the playing field — and I doubt there is — I have zero interest in switching.
It's not just the blackout rules that I don't like.
That’s just a small issue as part of a bigger problem baseball has. There’s a perception problem out there. Baseball is starting to be seen as an aging sport, where tradition is getting in the way of progress. There may be no major cracks, but there are a lot of minor cracks that could lead to major cracks in the future. Issues like the length of games, length of the regular season, instant replay, size of playoffs, weather at the start and end of the season, etc., are coming up more and more. If you want to see part of the problem, look at ratings, especially for the World Series. Here’s a comparison of the World Series in 2001 vs. 2011:
(Quick clarification: The fraction you see below is ratings/share. Ratings is the percentage of households watching, share is the percentage of TVs in use. The number in parentheses is the number of viewers.)
2001, Game 1: 10.4/19 (16.5 million)
2011, Game 1: 8.7/14 (14.2 million)
2001, Game 2: 15.0/23 (23.6 million)
2011, Game 2: 8.9/14 (14.3 million)
2001, Game 3: 15.4/24 (23.4 million)
2011, Game 3: 6.6/12 (11.2 million)
2001, Game 4: 15.8/27 (23.7 million)
2011, Game 4: 9.2/14 (15.2 million)
2001, Game 5: 14.4/24 (21.2 million)
2011, Game 5: 8.8/14 (14.3 million)
2001, Game 6: 13.8/24 (22.7 million)
2011, Game 6: 12.7/21 (21.1 million)
2001, Game 7: 23.5/34 (39.1 million)
2011, Game 7: 14.7/25 (25.4 million)
(Stats came from here.)
Ratings have taken a huge hit over the last 10 years. You can argue that teams in the series might make a difference, and that’s a fair point. In 2001, it was D-Backs vs. Yankees. In 2011, Rangers vs. Cardinals. However, even if you look at a year with two big markets playing (for example, 2009 with Yankees vs. Phillies), ratings are still down. Game 7 of the 2011 World Series was the highest rated game in 7 years, but that rating would have been a normal rating ten years ago.
MLB has a problem on their hands, and it will need to be fixed in the future. Selig has done many things to help the game of baseball, but soon someone new will need to come in and deal with this.
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
I don't know if World Series ratings are all that important in the long run
There probably aren’t many fans more die-hard overall than me, but I only watched a couple of World Series games. I think local attendance per teams and television ratings for each team are the more important indicators of the health of the game, and those have been trending positively in most markets lately I think.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
That's kind of an odd pair of trends, come to think of it
Local TV ratings are generally trending up across baseball.
But national TV ratings are trending way down.
Why?
by Cheeseandcorn on Jan 10, 2012 10:57 PM CST up reply actions
I think the NBA Finals are trending downward too, same for Stanley Cup
The NFL is a whole different monster, but I think baseball is more localized, you pick your team and follow it and are less interested in how the other teams finish. Even in 2000 the primary form of entertainment in America was sitting in front of a TV, it still is but now I can sit with my laptop on Twitter, BCB, and Gameday while watching Netflix or a DVRed tv show or something and still feel engaged in the game. The World Series isn’t so much of a national event that people sit down and watch anymore. And even so, the decline, over ten years, isn’t some huge falloff, as JP notes that series was a 7-gamer involving the Yankees, the ratings were bound to be higher. We’re talking maybe 3-5 million fewer fans watching the World Series on TV on average over 10 years. That’s a decline but I don’t think it’s baseball’s most pressing issue to get that back up, you could make a huge show of it and increase ratings but is that going to help the health of the game? No, the important part is packing ballparks and getting people in each market interested in their team.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
The local ratings for teams would be tough to find
They might tell more of the story, it would be worth it to look them up.
In terms of attendance at ballparks, it’s been steady. Overall in baseball, attendance has increased around 1 million a year between 2001 and 2011, but that’s only about a 1% increase (72 million to 73 million). Also, I probably did pick a year in 2001 where ratings were great, but if you look at the trend across the 10-year period in the link above, there is a noticeable decline regardless of who is playing in the World Series.
For comparison, the NBA Finals have taken a hit over the last 10 years, but not as dramatic. Average Nielsen rating for the NBA Finals in 2001 was 12.1, and in 2011 it was 10.2. There was a dip during that period, but they are recovering now. Before 2001, the ratings did have some high years, but many of those years were the Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls dominance years. Any year the Bulls were in the Finals, ratings were much higher.
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
Here's a bit of local ratings data
2011, from Sports Business Daily and Nielsen.
2010, from SBD and Nielsen.
2009, from SBD.
2008, from SBD and Nielsen.
by Cheeseandcorn on Jan 11, 2012 7:57 AM CST up reply actions
What's more important?
TV ratings or revenue? Since 1995, MLB revenue has grown every year (except 2002). In 2010, they reportedly had $7B.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
he's not bad
Even though the new CBA was less than desirable. I would like a new person there with new ideas, though.
Go ahead, make my day.
by ilikeburritos on Jan 10, 2012 1:25 PM CST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
I only have one serious complaint about Bud, and it's not really his fault
This never should have happened, and should never happen again.
Mark Attanasio is the best.
They need to give Milwaukee another All-Star Game to redeem ourselves.
Fighter of the Nightman. Champion of the sun. Master of karate & friendship for everyone.
by The Dayman on Jan 10, 2012 2:33 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I really didn't care.
Torii Hunter had that awesome catch, there was a lot of exciting play, and it’s just a freaking All-Star Game, it’s not like he cancelled the World Series or something. tugs at collar
by mpbMKE on Jan 10, 2012 5:42 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I wouldn't mind if he retroactively cancelled the 2011 World Series.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
That would be so sweet.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
Without Selig
NL never happens, Miller Park never happens, ‘08 WC never happens. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best commissioner ever.
Actually, if there were no Brewers, I wouldn't be a baseball fan.
Didn’t really start watching the team until around 2003. Went to my first game in 2004. My interest level has steadily increased since then.
So, I can reasonably say that Bud Selig is responsible for ruining my life.
(Please note the use of the sarcasm tag.)
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
by -JP- on Jan 10, 2012 1:39 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
Pointing out the use of the sarcasm tag ruins its effectiveness
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 10, 2012 1:40 PM CST up reply actions
Probably
I just worry about the one time I don’t point it out and someone thinks the comment is serious.
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
I see where you're coming from
but the use of the sarcasm tag does that for you. That’s why its awesome.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 10, 2012 2:32 PM CST up reply actions
If someone doesn't know what the sarcasm tag is
Then that person is a BCB noob and his or her opinion of you is irrelevant.
I'm only disappointed because there was a lot written about him retiring and teaching a sports history course at Madison
as early as 2013, and being a sophomore with a history major I would have most likely been able to take his class and work with him at some point. And that would have been awesome. I’ve heard they’re hiring a professor to teach a class like that anyways with a Selig endowment, so that’s pretty cool anyways.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
It would be great if they hired John Kruk
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 10, 2012 6:26 PM CST up reply actions
Because then he wouldn't be on ESPN any more?
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
by Yar Nivek on Jan 10, 2012 7:48 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
If you want to hang out with Selig
Go to Gilles at lunchtime.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
WOOHOO!!! MUG LINKAGE!!!
Thanks Kyle!
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
NotGraphs
Just did a thing about Billy Jo Robidoux, too. What a great freakin’ name, by the way.
A samurai sword collection. If you can do it. I don’t know if you’re allowed.
by TwoShoesMcGooze on Jan 10, 2012 12:20 PM CST reply actions
Seeing Yuniesky Betancourt in the former Brewers section makes me smile.
Fighter of the Nightman. Champion of the sun. Master of karate & friendship for everyone.
by The Dayman on Jan 10, 2012 12:37 PM CST reply actions 7 recs
It makes me both happy and sad
Happy because he’s gone
Sad because it reminds me that he was the starting shortstop for an entire season.
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
26 | 20 | .565 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 22 | .531 | 1.5 | Lost 3 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Lost 1 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Won 2 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 27 | .413 | 7 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 31 | .326 | 11 | Lost 11 |
(updated 5.27.2012 at 12:11 PM CDT)
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